Champions League: The last flames of Leicester's glory period may be extinguished tonight

Sevilla are much more than mere opponents for Leicester City as the English champions brace themselves for another tough encounter against the reigning Europa League holders at the King Power Stadium in the round of 16 in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Their last meeting three weeks ago in Spain spelt the end of the Claudio Ranieri era at the midlands club as a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Los Blanquirrojos, though not damaging in itself, forced the club’s Thai owners to get rid of the affable Italian in order to try and stave off relegation.

A lot has transpired since: The Foxes have played two games against Liverpool and Hull City, two teams at opposite ends of the Premier League table and beat them both with a 3-1 margin.

In the latter game, Leicester won for the first time this season after going a goal down against a team on the rise. Craig Shakespeare, the interim gaffer, has been given independent charge till the end of the season.

A mirror to Leicester’s aspirations

In ways more than one, Sevilla are the club that Leicester desire to be: an outfit consistently challenging for the European spots in their own league with an appetite to take on the big boys in Europe.

A three-peat in the Europa League has shown that Sevilla are more than capable of holding their own against the big guns too. An annual loss of their best players and coaches, as is the case with the best mid-table achievers in developed European footballing economies has been taken for granted with the replacement process a key to their regeneration year on year.

Leicester’s owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his board must realise that while naked ambition is good, sustainable growth is what clubs the size of Leicester must aim for. Leeds United’s fate in the early 2000’s is a good reminder to all middling clubs to take it slow and steady rather than aim for the moon and crash and burn.

In Sevilla, they have the perfect prototype of an European club with ambitions beyond their own borders. For the Foxes to become a Manchester United or a Chelsea, they must pass through the Sevilla stage first.

Immediate challenges up ahead

For Shakespeare and his men, the campaign, although lightened up by two successive victories, cannot come to an end soon enough. The Ranieri sacking and the subsequent media reports confirm what some might have suspected: The players didn’t perform as they should have.

Allegations of players meeting the owner behind the manager’s back, of last season’s heroes becoming turncoats unable and unwilling to abide by the manager’s new system and being labelled as “snakes” will not sit too well with the interim or the incoming management this summer.

The Foxes find themselves in an unusual situation: Of being present in the Champions League knockouts and absent from it at the same time. In Sevilla, they face a team with the pedigree and expectation of being at this stage year after year.

It is difficult to envisage Sevilla collapsing with the departure of one player, as all the analysis around the Foxes’ difficult season has revolved around N’Golo Kante’s departure. Yet for Leicester, this may be their biggest game and last Champions League game for a number of years, barring a miraculous victory in this season’s competition.

Montpellier’s victory in Ligue 1 five seasons ago is the only other occasion this decade whence an “unfancied” team came and upset the odds to claim a league title. Fast forward to the present and the team is sitting in 13th in the league, sitting five points above relegation. La Paillade haven’t made Europe since then, their highest finish, ninth the season after.

Slimani doubtful

One thing that Shakespeare has done is revert back to the old system of sitting back, soaking up the pressure and countering at will. There has been no tinkering with formation and the 4-4-2 has been re-introduced with Jamie Vardy finding his shooting boots.

Last season’s Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez also managed to finally net from open play, after a 28 match gap and winter arrival Wilfred Ndidi is warming up to life in England alongside Danny Drinkwater. Islam Slimani is a doubtful starter and Shinji Okazaki may take his place up front.

Jorge Sampaoli has made Sevilla fluid and his team have shown the ability to switch between a myriad of formations effectively this season. They have not conceded away from home in this season’s competition but have found the net only once on their travels.

They may have drawn their last two La Liga matches, but remain a danger in Europe. The Chilean, tactically asture, may overwhelm his English counterpart in the thinking department and in Stevan Jovetic, Vitolo, Samir Nasri, Steven N’Zonzi, Adil Rami and Sergio Rico, he possesses a fine array of players armed with the experience of playing at the highest level.

It should really have ended 5-0 to the Spaniards in the first leg if not for their wastefulness and for Kasper Schmeichel between the sticks, but that away goal will give their opponents belief. A 2-1 deficit can be overturned and has to be, if Leicester are to keep the last bit of magic from turning into nostalgia.